Daily Archives: July 21, 2011

An Open Letter to the Town of Webb Board

Unattractive informational signs clutter the streets as well


Dear Mr. Moore and Board members:

I applaud your efforts to address the issue of visual aesthetics in Old Forge.

It is understandable that every business wants to get their message out and be “seen,” but in order to look attractive all communities, including Old Forge, need some measure of signage control to limit “visual clutter.”

Town, county, and state road signs can also be a source of visual clutter.

For example, in the 1.8 mile stretch of the South Shore Road from the Hemmer Cottage to the turn by the Adirondack League Club there are 192 metal road signs alerting drivers to upcoming curves/intersections (63 signs), no stopping any time (57), speed limit (44), and 28 signs with warnings for deer, bikes, school buses, pedestrians, and trails.

That’s approximately one sign every 49 feet. Continue reading →

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Coming to Inlet, July 30th Fourth Lake Property Owners to Host Follow-up Seminar

In August of 2010, an overflow crowd packed into the Inlet Town Hall to listen to a panel discussion regarding passing down property to succeeding generations.

The event was sponsored by the Fourth Lake Property Owners Association.

At last year’s meeting, Attorney Lowell Seifter spoke about creating trusts and LLCs to protect property for the future, while Bill and Wendy Nolan of PAOWNYC spoke about their own property experiences.

Due to a favorable response regarding last year’s panel discussion, Avoiding a House Divided, the Fourth Lake Property Owners Association will be hosting Part II of the discussion which is aptly entitled, “Strategies to Avoid a House Divided (Passing Your Camp on to Your Heirs).”

This free and open public meeting will be held Saturday, July 30 at 10 a.m. at the Inlet Town Hall.

Raquette Lake summer resident and partner in the Syracuse law firm of Green and Seifter Attorneys, PLLC, Lowell Seifter, will return to this panel discussion to lecture on the legal issues, taxation issues, and emotional issues that often come with leaving property to succeeding generations.

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Strand Theatre: Capacity Crowd Turns Out For Midnight Opening of ‘Harry Potter’

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 opened to sold-out audiences nationwide on Thursday, July 14—including at Old Forge’s Strand Theatre where all 360 seats were spoken for well before the midnight show began to roll.

Theatre-worker Kathy Nahor said the line of Potter fans, many dressed as their favorite characters, began to form around 9 p.m.

According to Strand co-owner Bob Card, about 100 disappointed fans were turned away.

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Health Center Fund’s President to Address WPOA Annual Meeting

The Webb Property Owners Association (WPOA) will hold its annual meeting on Friday, July 29 at the North Woods Inn on Route 28.

A short business meeting will begin at 7 p.m. which will be followed by a presentation by special guest speaker, Hazel Dellavia, President of the Town of Webb Health Center Fund.

A question and answer period will follow Hazel’s program.

All are welcome to attend the meeting. Refreshments will be served.

Celebrating its 25th year, WPOA challenges state, county, town and school districts on issues that effect taxpayers.

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‘Mark Twain’s America’ coming to View July 23

Will Stutts, Master of the One Man Show, will perform “Mark Twain’s America,” at View, the new arts center in Old Forge, on Saturday, July 23 at 7:30 p.m.

Stutts, who has performed as Mark Twain for the last 43 years, easily draws his audience into the life and mind of the renowned American humorist and author of Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer and countless other classics.

Stutts, who is both an actor and playwright, as well as a guest director and lecturer at universities across the country, portrays Mark Twain—delivering one of his social commentary lectures at Chautauqua, NY, where Twain’s lecture circuit began in the late 19th century.

“People came there to listen to lecturers or to speak,” Stutts said. “It was their version of going on The View or Jay Leno. It was their way to meet the public and sell their books, and Mark Twain became a real star of the lecture circuit and he began to develop—for lack of a better term—a stand-up comedy act.

“He was the predecessor of Bob Hope and Lenny Bruce who went out and spoke about social issues. He really was the first to do that,” he said.

Stutts knows a great deal about Mark Twain, having portrayed him since 1968 when he was an undergraduate in an American Literature class.

The experience led to his lifelong interest in the author which was interrupted briefly after finishing undergraduate school.

“I was contemplating going to graduate school, when I got an offer to work for Ringling Brothers & Barnum and Bailey Circus to work in public relations,” he said.

Continue reading →

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Just Call me Mrs. Lucky by Jan from Woodgate

A picture’s worth a thousand words, but it pales next to a simple ‘No’

Contrary to popular belief, being the Baby of the family is no easy task. The eldest often holds the “hero” status, the middle kids are typically over-achievers and doers of the “right thing,” and then there’s the Baby.

Tons of pressure there for the youngest child which, of course, I am.

The Baby tends to smooth out the cogs in the family wheel, craving harmony, laughter and a general feeling of well being.

The Baby wants it all. Hence the undeserved SPOILED BRAT label.

Precise vivid memories haunt me sometimes, and after revisiting these visions (most likely during a full moon session) I have determined that a huge bone of contention in my life is the word “NO.”

Not gonna lie, I’ve always endured difficult times whenever this word reared its ugly head. I can clearly hear Mom and Dad’s voices, raised in indignation and directed at this Baby—“You just can’t take NO for an answer!”

And right they were. I hated, despised, dreaded a NO.

As life continued on I found myself on the opposite side of the NO fence.

Turns out the older I got the easier it was for me to take a NO than to give one. I constantly found myself doing stuff that I didn’t want to do, and all because I dislike NO so intensely. No pricey therapy, no Dr. Phil, just me figuring life out all by myself.

I do adore a challenge every now and again, so I’ve assigned myself a task—the unadorned NO. NO all by itself has a certain punch-in-the-face quality. When NO is not followed by a lengthy explanation or a lame apology it takes on a whole new fun meaning. Continue reading →

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Gary Lee’s Daybreak to Twilight

In the Wild: Abundance of food keeps bears where they belong

Much needed rain came this morning (7/18) which should push the black and blueberries. They sure were in need of some watering. The bushes are full of both varieties.

At this time the blueberries are only half-ripe and the blackberries are still green but it should be a great crop for both.

I’ve only found a few raspberry bushes but those were all good. This time of year my fingers are stained each day as I forage from berry patch to berry patch in my travels.

Not many make it home as I snack on them along the way. Continue reading →

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